Custom Pieces/Restorations

Custom orders are a great way to get the perfect piece of jewelry made just for you! Whether you have old pieces to meltdown, or would like to make something completely new, the custom order process is a fun, interactive design and making experience.

 

Generational/Old Gold

Melting down unworn or broken pieces of gold is a sentimental and creative way to honour the meaning of those pieces, while ending up with a new piece to wear everyday. This is a great option for wedding bands! Recycling projects typically need a minimum of 6 weeks of lead time. With reworking projects, although the client provides most of the material, the labour involved in getting your old pieces melted down and into a workable state is immense. This means the money saved in material costs is usually made up in labour costs. There will be a slight saving in the end, however this is not a viable way to get a new, "cheap" solid gold piece! 

What metals can be reworked?

- Yellow gold in any karat is perfect for reworked projects! 
- Sterling Silver is perfect for melting down and reworking!
- The majority of white gold is rhodium plated to give it that bright, brilliant white colour that we know as "white gold". True white gold is not fully white, and has a slight yellow tint to it. White gold in its true and not its plated version can be reworked, but unfortunately white gold that has been rhodium plated cannot be reworked.

 

Engagement Rings

Custom engagement rings are an extremely meaningful token, and require in-depth involvement from the client. Having a secure understanding of what your partner wants is crucial when designing! I am happy to help you along the way with suggestions, options and opinions, but ultimately the final decisions will be yours to make. Custom engagement rings need a minimum of 6-8 weeks lead time to account for the design, stone selecting/cutting, creating and shipping phases.

What to expect during the custom engagement ring process:

- First, you'll be asked to provide inspiration pictures of rings that are similar to what you are looking to have done. It's important to keep your budget and the price of the inspiration pieces in mind when choosing your inspo pictures! For example, sending pictures of $10,000+ rings, with a budget of $1000 can cause some issues further down the line, so shopping within your budget is imperative to a smooth designing process.

- Once we've come to an agreement on the setting style, band details and desired stone, it's time to start looking for the perfect stone to represent your love! Diamonds and Sapphires are popular choices, but I strongly encourage clients to be open about alternative stones, especially if you are working with a budget under $2500. Herkimer Quartz, Moonstone, Opal and Rutilated Quartz are all beautiful and durable stones that come with a lower price tag per carat, making them easier to fit into more modest budgets, while maintaining the impact that most desire out of an engagement ring.

- Once the stone is selected, we will need to wait for it to be custom cut or shipped. Depending on the stone, this process can take anywhere from 1-4 weeks. At this point a deposit is required to secure the stone. This is usually the cost of the stone, which you will be made aware of during the selection process.

- Once the stone arrives, it's time for me to start working on it! If we are reworking gold, this process can take anywhere between 1-3 extra weeks on top of the creating process. If all new gold is being used, the creating process typically takes 1-2 weeks.

- I will send pictures and videos of the ring as I make it if you wish, or I can just contact you with pictures upon completion. During this phase it's best to know what your proposal plans are, if you don't already. I can provide a big fancy ring box, but they aren't the best for sneaky proposals. Etsy has a wide selection of discrete ring boxes that I encourage you to look into if your proposal includes an element of surprise.

- Once the ring is complete, you will be sent an official picture, and shipping or pickup arrangements will be made. Payment in full is due before the ring leaves my studio, unless we have come to another payment plan agreement.

- Custom engagement rings are not refundable!

 Vintage Restorations

Restoring vintage pieces is a meaningful way to keep beautiful, unique and old pieces in your collection! Restoration projects are taken on on a base by base case as not all pieces can be fully restored.

Approx costs:

For a full restore with no design changes or resizing, you can expect to pay between $300-$450. If there are design changes or any sizing that needs to be done, or a combination of both, it can range between $450-$1000, depending on the extent of the design changes. Working on vintage pieces comes with their own unique challenges, require exceptional care, and a different set of tools.

Costs vary greatly on these kinds of projects and I can provide a full cost estimate before we begin!